Friday, December 31, 2021

Club sandwich

 



Ingredients

  • 6 slices bread toasted
  • 6 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 4 ounce turkey slices
  • 1 large tomato sliced
  • 2 slices cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounce ham slices
  • 6 slices bacon cooked
  • 4 leaves lettuce
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Spread 1 tbsp of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread. Arrange 2 slices down on your cutting board with mayo side up. Top each slice with half of turkey, tomatoes, and a slice of cheddar cheese.
  • Place a slice of bread with mayo side down over the cheddar cheese. Top each with ham, 3 slices bacon and 2 leaves of lettuce. Season with salt and pepper and place remaining slices of bread over the lettuce with mayo side down. 
  • Cut the sandwiches in half or quarters and serve with potato chips.

Notes

  1. Secure the sandwich layers together with a toothpick or cocktail stick!
  2. Switch out the cheese for a spicy jalapeno cheddar for an extra kick.
  3. You can change up the ingredients to suit your preference!
  4. Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Potato and sausage soup

 



INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound Italian sausage, loose or casings removed
  • 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold, Russet or Red potatoes cut into a 1″ dice, skins on or off
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (If needed)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 4–5 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Spray a large dutch oven or soup pot with non-stick cooking spray over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking up with a spoon or spatula until almost cooked through.
  2. Add the onions and garlic to the pot with the sausage and the drippings, stirring and cooking until softened about 3-4 minutes. Add the diced potatoes and cook another 3-4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. If your sausage didn’t produce enough drippings you can add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the pot.
  3. Add the flour, stir to combine and then keep stirring to scrape up the bottom of the pot and then add the chicken and beef broths, spinach, diced tomatoes and thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pot as they cook.
  4. Check to see if the potatoes are tender, then remove about 1 cup of the potatoes to a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Return the mashed potatoes to the soup and stir to combine. Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese and then taste the soup for seasonings.
  5. Cook the soup for another 10 minutes, uncovered on low heat so that the flavors can combine. Remove the thyme sprigs and serve. If you don’t have thyme sprigs use dried thyme.

Sausage hash brown casserole


 


 Ingredients:

  • 2 lb hot breakfast sausage
  • 1 (30-32oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 cups milk

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat and set aside.
  • Add hash browns to skillet and cook until lightly brown. (Add a little oil to the skillet if necessary.) Place hash browns in bottom of lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with sausage and cheese.
  • Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over hash brown mixture.
  • **Cover and refrigerate at this point if baking later.**
  • Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes.

Notes:

Can substitute turkey sausage.


Can make casserole in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later.


To bake after refrigerating, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.


To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed above.


To reheat after freezing, thaw completely. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350ºF for 30 to 40 minutes, until warm all the way through.



Monday, December 6, 2021

Lunchroom brownie’s

 



Ingredients

For this delicious brownies, you will need :

  • 1 cup of butter, melted and cooled.
  • 1 ¼  cups of granulated sugar.
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature.
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract.
  • ¾ teaspoon salt.
  • 2 cups all purpose flour.
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • 1 cup of chopped chocolate or large chocolate chips.


Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil. Grease it with butter so that the batter does not stick. Put the pan aside
  • Pour melted butter into a mixing bowl, add cocoa powder. Stir it until smooth.
  • Combine the chocolate mixture with flour and sugar. Whisk it. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir care fully until combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 25-30 minutes. For reliability, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if comes out dry, then the brownie is done. Take the cake out from the oven, let cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the icing. Mix milk, cocoa powder, butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour the resulting mixture over warm cakes. Put brownie in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to cool down
  • Once the dessert has cooled, cut it into small bars and serve.

Mock chicken legs- Air Fryer

 


Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs Ground Pork
  • 1 lb Ground Veal or Lamb (we used lamb which worked great)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Brown or Yellow Mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 An Onion Diced
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Egg (for meat)
  • Skewers cut to fit in your Air fryer 
  • 4 Eggs (for wash)
  • 1.5 cups Plain Bread Crumbs
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 tbsp Corn Starch

Instructions

  • Mix in a medium to large mixing bowl the following: salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, Italian seasoning, 1 egg, ground pork, and ground lamb (or veal)
  • Form chicken leg shaped patties
  • Push one end of the skewer about halfway into the patty
  • Use your hands to form a chicken leg shape around the skewer (repeat to use all of your meat mixture)
  • Beat 4 eggs with light salt and pepper on a plate
  • Dump (and spread out) 1.5 cups of bread crumbs on a different plate
  • Wash your Mock Chicken Legs in the egg and then carefully press the legs into the bread crumbs (complete this step with all meat skewers)
  • Use a paper towel to rub down the inside of your instant pot with ~2 Tbsp of olive oil
  • Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the air fryer 
  • Stand all of the formed mock chicken legs up inside the air fryer 
  • The water helps with the grease 
  •  This step is for the instant pot -Allow the Instant Pot to Natural Pressure Release for another 10 minutes
  •  This step is for the instant pot After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure manually 
  • Plate all Mock Chicken Legs (keep in microwave or covered while following the next steps to create gravy)
  • Mix 2 Tbsp of cornstarch with 4 Tbsp of cooking fluid from the instant pot to create a slurry
  • Press Sauté and mix in your cornstarch slurry
  • Add a little salt and pepper, stir, and taste to make sure your gravy is perfect
  • Stir and simmer until the gravy is velvety, then cancel your saute mode on your instant pot
  • Pour as much gravy as you want on your plated Mock Chicken Legs and dig in!
    When using the air fryer cook for 10 and check for doneness .. you can use the air fryer or instant pot.

Salmon bites




 INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Lb. salmon cut it into 3-inch cubes
  • 2 teaspoons Paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder 
  • 2 teaspoons parsley flakes 
  • ¼ cup oil for cooking 


INSTRUCTIONS

  • First cut the salmon into 3-inch cubes and pat dry and set aside. I removed the skin; you can keep it if you want.
  • In a large bowl add all spices together and mix well
  • coat the salmon pieces well with the spices . And set aside for 15 minutes.
  • Get the pan ready.  At this time I was getting the water ready for my mashed potatoes. Yes honey I used instant potatoes. Who has time to peel potatoes on a week day.
  • Heat oil in a pan and then add salmon pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the one side is cooked then flip and cook the other side too.
  • When both sides are cooked well remove from the pan and serve.  I also made shrimp. I used the same seasoning on my shrimp and Cooked my shrimp for 2 minutes on each side.

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Lemonade




 Ingredients

  
  • 6 lemons thoroughly washed
  • 1-1¼ C. granulated sugar I prefer using 1 cup of sugar. 
  • 4 C. Hot water
  • 1 C. ice plus extra to serve

Instructions
 

  • Thoroughly wash and dry the outsides of the lemons. 
  • Using a lemon squeezer, cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a large bowl. Try to avoid the seeds as best you can.
  • Set the lemon juice aside. 
  • Pour the sugar over the lemon juice . Stir well and wait for the hot water . It’s up to you if you use boiling water or hot tap water. I happen to love my tap water 💧. When the water is hot mix it with the sugar.
  • The lemon and sugar mixture should look wet at this point. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the sugar and lemon juice  mixture. Stir to dissolve all of the sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature. 
  • Strain out the seeds if you can , if not it’s okay .
  • To the warm syrup at 1 cup of ice. 
  • After you have squeezed all of the juice from the lemon cut them in slices and add them to your pitcher . You never want to mix hot liquids in a pitcher, you never know 🤷🏾‍♀️It may be glass and shatter.
  • Chill the lemonade for a couple of hours and serve over plenty of ice.Or if you can’t wait like me get you a glass and take a break from cooking 😂😂

Friday, December 3, 2021

Chicken and gravy



 Ingredients

For the Chicken Fried Chicken

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Vegetable oil for frying

For the Gravy

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  •  salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste


Instructions

For the Chicken Fried Chicken

  • Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally, creating four thin portions. If necessary, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to ½-inch thickness.
  • In a shallow bowl, whisk together milk and egg. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and spices.
  • Dredge each piece of chicken in milk then in the flour mixture. Place on a wire rack and repeat until all chicken is coated. Allow to rest and make the gravy.
  • When ready to cook, heat 1-inch of cooking oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Fry the chicken in batches (if necessary) for 6-8 minutes, flipping as needed, until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain while cooling.

For the Gravy

  • In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Whisk in milk and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes, then remove from the heat. Taste and season as necessary, then serve with hot chicken.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

 


Materials

  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 1/2 cup cold Water
  • 3/4 cup grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Butter diced . 2 tablespoons melted for later 
  • 1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • Mix together baking mix, then the butter . Once you have taken a fork and mashed the butter into pea size pieces add cold water, and grated cheese.
  • Roll out biscuits in a floured surface. Biscuits should be approximately one inch thick. You don’t have to roll the biscuits, you have options.
  • Cut biscuits with a cutter or use a drinking glass
    As a cutter to stamp out the dough
    Or use a ice cream scoop but don’t fill it up all the way if you have the big scoop like me 😂
  • Place onto an un-greased baking dish.
  • Melt butter and seasonings together. Now save this part for later.  But don’t do it until you take the biscuits out of the oven.
  • Brush biscuits with the butter and spices on step 6.
  • Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.